How Technology Has Made It More Difficult to Hide Money from your Spouse

By Sheryl Rentz on May 11, 2012

An unfortunate part of marriage is the deceit that occurs when a twosome hides money from one another, either to splurge on extramarital mischief or simply to keep from sharing it in the event of a divorce. According to a report in The Wall Street Journal, electronic discovery has made the hiding of monetary assets much harder for a deceiving spouse or partner to do. Financial mischief is a very common problem in relationships, and a survey conducted by the National Endowment for Financial Education shows 31 percent of U.S. adults who combined assets with a partner or spouse say they have been dishonest about money. More than half of the adults surveyed say they hide cash from their significant other.

With financial deceit being such a common part of unions, electronic discovery, or the use of technology to uncover hidden assets, can help a person unearth any wrongdoing. A part of the reason electronic discovery is increasingly popular is because more people are using technology to hide assets to begin with. Spouses or partners who may be suspicious of their loved one’s activities can investigate their social networking accounts or their web viewing history to find signs of a hidden business deal or bank account. In addition, forensic experts and divorce attorneys are now using advanced search tools to swiftly analyze things such as credit card bills or online bank statements.

Though technology can help a dubious partner find answers to looming questions, the legality of obtaining such evidence is still a gray area. For example, it is perfectly legal to do a Google search on your significant other, but it is potentially illegal to hack into a password protected Facebook account or smartphone for the purposes of gaining information. In addition, information not obtained legally is generally not admissible in court. Attorneys do say, however, that even if the information is not allowable in court, it can empower them in negotiations, perhaps in order to get the partner a successful divorce settlement.

The divorce process can be very difficult and there are a number of issues to resolve before the divorce is final, such as financial matters. Pennsylvania divorce financial issues lawyer Sheryl R. Rentz understands how important it is to obtain the financial support you need after a split and knows how to discover and assess a partner’s true financial assets so that you get the full settlement that you are entitled to. To discuss your case further, please call (610) 645-0100 to schedule a complimentary consultation.